Five Days
by serenelystrange
Summary: So Quimby13 suggested I post my "days" series as one document, in order, and I thought it sounded like a good idea, so I am. I hope you enjoy. I may write an intro, but I havent decided yet, lol.
1. Chapter 1

"I'd rather go naked."

Sophie suppressed the urge to shake Parker in exasperation. With a soothing voice, she explained,

"Parker, I really don't think that is the best idea, at least not yet. Hardison has a fragile mind… we wouldn't want it to explode, now would we?" Parker shook her head no, as if it were actually a possible repercussion of her nudity. Sophie sighed, realizing Parker had once again taken her advice too literally.

"Honey, his brain won't actually explode. I just think that a more… reserved approach might be best for right now. Remember, let him know you're interested, but don't scare him. And wear the dress we discussed." Parker scribbled furiously on the notepad she had brought. Already listed on the paper were; make sure we're alone, no appearing from nowhere, and absolutely no rappelling off rooftops. To this she added; don't make brain explode and wear that dress.

Eliot chose that moment to walk by the talking women in Sophie's office. Praying Sophie wasn't trying to help Parker act again, he strolled in.

"What's going on? We got a new job?" he asked. Sophie tried to speak but was interrupted by an excited Parker, who was nearly bouncing as she turned to Eliot to explain.

"Sophie is helping me seduce Hardison! Look, we made a list! I'd still rather go naked, but Sophie thinks it would be too much."

Eliot actually sputtered for a minute, thoughts torn between the not entirely unpleasant idea of a naked Parker, and the almost certain hilarity of Parker seducing Hardison. The man stood no chance. Giving them a sly smile, he turned Parker away from Sophie and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Parker," he said with apparent seriousness, "If you want Hardison, just tell him. Go right on up to him, put your arms around him, and tell him how you feel." To demonstrate, Eliot linked his hands behind Parker's neck and tipped her face to his. His face took on a softer look than any of them had ever seen, and his smile was sweeter than they thought possible. Smiling still, he whispered, "Parker, I think we should have sex, right now."

Eliot nearly laughed as he heard Sophie gasp behind them, fully aware that she was seeing an entirely new dimension of his acting ability. Parker was looking at him with an odd expression, somewhere between confusion and lust. She finally composed herself and smacked Eliot in the arm as hard as she could.

"You! Oh, you're good. I can use that. And if Hardison doesn't want me…" she trailed off, the familiar crazy gleam in her eyes.

"Trust me Parker, he'll want you. Just let him know." Parker nodded and walked from the room, still clutching her notepad, deep in thought.

When she left, Eliot turned to a slack-jawed Sophie. He grinned and gave her an exaggerated bow. She merely stared at him with a thoughtful look on her face. Eliot however, couldn't help but notice her flushed skin and irregular breathing. He took a step closer and grinned his sweet grin. He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. She inhaled visibly and turned her head away from his hand, but made no move to leave. Suddenly a lot less confident, his gaze dropped to the floor as he muttered out the thought he had tried to suppress.

"I know you're all tangled up right now, Sophie, but anytime you… anytime. I'll be here." She nodded minutely but avoided his eyes.

He practically ran from the room, cursing at himself for saying anything at all. It was all in fun until he got too close to her, and his attraction to the pretty grifter was too strong to pretend anymore. He knew Sophie didn't love him, and he still didn't entirely trust her, but he still wanted her, badly. But it wasn't Eliot that she wanted; at least not in the way he wanted her. Nate was a fool to keep her in limbo, but Eliot knew Sophie would wait for Nate as long as she could. And that was probably forever.

Eliot ran his hands repeatedly through his hair, wondering how he would face Sophie at the office the next day. Reigning in his thoughts, he remembered tomorrow was Saturday, and he wouldn't have to face her for another few days. He decided that tomorrow would be good, after all, there was a hockey game on he intended to watch, uninterrupted, on Hardison's ridiculously big TV. After all, who else would show up to the office on a Saturday?


	2. Chapter 2

The new offices weren't half bad. It wasn't home yet, but they were getting there. Hardison strolled out of his new office to sit on the new couch next to Eliot, who was deeply involved in a hockey game. _Hockey, I just don't get it. Too damn cold! And all those broken ass teeth! Why bother? _Hardison didn't dare say any of this aloud, for fear of Eliot's quick temper, but laughed quietly to himself as he ran his tongue across the inside of his teeth, happy he had a full set. Eliot glanced in his direction briefly, eyebrow raised, with an expression that said something along the lines of "I don't know what's so funny, and I don't care, just hush your mouth when I'm watching my game."

Hardison quickly dropped the grin on his face and settled himself back into the couch, shifting a few inches away from Eliot in what he thought was an inconspicuous motion. Eliot's snort told him otherwise, but the other man didn't look away from the screen. _It's my damn TV man! _Hardison thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. But he didn't really mind. He had missed his makeshift family too much to care about something as insignificant as the television station. Besides, if he really wanted to, he could make all of Eliot's white boy sports disappear with hardly any effort. It might even be worth the pain he would expect from the specialist, but Hardison decided to save this particular plan for another day. When he was properly stretched and limbered up to run his ass far far away. The grin reappeared on his face as he thought about all the ways he could screw with Eliot without leaving his office. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice her until Eliot's voice broke through his daydreaming.

"Parker! Wanna be movin' out of the way?" "Please," he added as an afterthought to the quirky blonde's feelings. To her credit, Parker merely stared at him with an amused look before turning her gaze to Hardison. _Oh hell, I'm in trouble. Don't know what the hell's going on here, but I don't trust that look in her eyes. _Before the thought was even complete in his mind, Hardison gasped when he saw a visible shift in her gaze as it rested upon him. Gone was her bored, calculating expression, and in its place was something he could only equate to the look she got when in possession of large quantities of money.

And then she smiled, in a decidedly un-Parker way, and his rambling thoughts stopped as his brain shut down. Eliot finally seemed to realize that aside from physically moving Parker out of the way, he wasn't going to see the rest of his game in the living room. He stood abruptly, grabbing a beer from the table and his jacket from the chair. Standing between a grinning Parker and a dumbfounded Hardison, he fairly growled out his departing sentence, "You two, you better, just, dammit, y'all just get on with it already!" And with that, he stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. The others were too caught up in their moment to notice the grin that spread across Eliot's face as he reached the hall.

The slamming door snapped Hardison back into reality. Parker had yet to say a word, and this in itself made him more than a little nervous. But something had changed. Hardison could actually feel the tension in the air, and he realized he was glad that his blushing would not appear on his dark skin. It was then that he noticed her outfit. It too, was very un-Parker. In fact, he recognized it. _She wore that when we stole the David statue. It's not even hers. What is going on here! She kissed me in that dress. _ He finally regained control of his voice as he looked up to meet Parker's gaze.

"Hey girl, what's uhh, what's going on?" Hardison was proud of himself for keeping his cool. And then Parker came closer. Before he knew it, she had crawled right into his lap, one leg on each side of his lap. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and peered down at him, for once looking uncertain. She finally spoke.

"Do you like my dress? Sophie said you would, something about tying an emotion to an image. I wanted to come naked, but she said it would be too much for your fragile brain." Hardison's mind raced as he tried to sort out everything he wanted to say without sounding like a rambling fool. _Hell yes I like the dress! And damn, Sophie is one evil evil genius. Don't think there's enough blood in my head to process an emotion at this point. Well maybe one. _ Taking a deep breath, Hardison replied to the increasing uncomfortable looking Parker.

"The dress is very… nice." He let his eyes roam down her frame, noticing her hair cascading down her shoulders instead of being pulled back as usual. He decided he liked it. Grinning widely, Hardison brought his hands up from his sides to rest on her waist, gripping tighter than needed, but he needed to keep them from shaking. Parker smiles again, and he wonders how he ever thought she was crazy. Right now she is nothing but beautiful. Unable to keep his foot out of his mouth, the statement comes out before he can stop it,

"I wouldn't have minded the naked either." _Ah, hell. That was dumb. _With a groan he closed his eyes and prepared for Parker to be offended and take off. But then she laughed, and he remembered that this was _Parker_. Of course she would laugh! Questions and thoughts raced through his mind, but he forgot them all as Parker tightened against him and pressed her lips to his. _Well, damn. _He hadn't expected the bolt of electricity that ran through his body, hadn't expected to actually feel sparks. Pulling away, he saw a similar feeling expressed on Parker's face. She made his head swim, but he would rather have drowned than let go of her now.

"Do you have a bed here?" Parker asked, laughing as Hardison's eyes managed to widen even further.

Hardison shook his head, "No. Didn't think I would need one at work. Never imagined…" he trailed off before he could curse his own good luck. "All I have is a chair and a desk. And a plant." Parker giggled, and the sound warmed him almost as much as her arms, still around his neck. She leaned in even closer, until he lips were at his ear.

"I can work with a chair. Easily. I'm very flexible." Parker stated this matter of factly, but it was sexiest thing Hardison had ever heard. No fictional character even came close. His eyes actually rolled back in his head. _Well, what are we waiting for!" _

Parker hopped up, and Hardison immediately missed her warmth, but got over it as she ran down the hall into his office. _Damn, she is quick. _ Laughing, he ran after her. _Hold up girl, don't start without me! _And then he thought about her… starting… and his knees nearly buckled. Finally reaching his office, he walked in just as Parker's dress fell to the floor. This time, his knees did buckle. He fell to them in front of her, forehead resting on her smooth stomach. And then somehow she was on her knees too, and then his clothes were gone, and they were both on the floor, all thoughts of the chair forgotten. _Thank god I got the thick carpeting in this room! _ _Though I hope we don't get rug b… _And all his thoughts vanished as she kissed him again. Absolutely giddy, he ran his hands over every inch of her he could. Parker moaned and giggled, and with any other girl, Hardison would be wounded at the giggling, but this was Parker, and he knew her laughter was happy, not mocking. Then she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled away from the kiss to lay back and look right into his eyes. Hardison saw the challenge in her eyes, the dare to stop now. But there was no going back. With a look of absolute adoration, he kissed her softly on the neck, whispering in her ear, "Not going anywhere girl, not without you."

And then he joined them in one swift move, and all words were lost. Parker's legs tightened even more as she reached up to capture his lips again.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday was football day. Sunday was football day on the big screen at the office, and there was not a damn thing in the universe that was going to stop Eliot from watching the game. Just yesterday, his Saturday sports viewing had been ruined by Parker and Hardison and whatever it is they got up to when he left them at the office, sensing he would not want to be around for the rest of the day. Especially since he knew Parker would have taken his advice, and he was good. Damn good.

He discovered he was right about the previous day as he walked into the office. The kitchen, _his _kitchen, was a disaster! Something that looked suspiciously like a puddle of orange soda was spread across his floor. Hot pocket sleeves and fortune cookie wrappers littered the counter. And oh dear god, was that chocolate sauce smeared on the refrigerator? Eliot decided he didn't want to know how it had gotten there. _They are cleaning this. Twice._

Realizing it was a bad idea but unable to stop himself, Eliot dared a walk into Hardison's office. The scene surprised him, but not in the way he had expected. Everything looked normal. Nothing looked broken, or even messy. It was then that he looked down and laughed at what he saw; whole clumps of the carpet were gone, just gone! Bare spots littered the entire floor. _Wonder if that was Hardison or Parker? Probably Hardison, Parker've found a way to involve fire. _And then he noticed the faint burning smell and the singe marks that accompanied some of the bare spots. _Oh lord. _He really, really didn't want to know. Still, he found himself grinning for his friends. They were just crazy enough to suit each other. Shaking his head, he headed back to the tv, opening the fridge with his foot and grabbing the beer the furthest away from the orange soda.

Eliot had just settled into the couch, beer in one hand, remote in other, when he heard the back door burst open then slam shut, accompanied by a guttural sound of frustration. He immediately jumped up, grabbing one of the many knives hidden in the office, and went to investigate. Clutching the knife, he ventured into the conference room, where the back door led into. Peering around the corner, he lowered the knife as he realized it was just Sophie. _What's she doing here? Probably another fight with Nate . It's getting worse with those two. _Sophie stood at the conference table, hands clutched to the back of a chair, eyes closed and head down, seemingly trying to compose herself. Aware that she hadn't heard him come in, Eliot cleared his throat and walked to the table, placing the knife on the opposite side of where they stood.

Sophie looked up, startled, and Eliot was filled with an intense urge to hurt something, or more likely, someone. That someone probably being Nate. Sophie's face would've been comical if he didn't know her. She was red and blotchy, mascara tracks running down both cheeks. But the look on her face made Eliot unable to find the humor. Sophie looked horrible. Still beautiful of course, always beautiful to him, but Eliot had never seen her look as sad and defeated as she did now. The urge to rain down pain was rising again, but he pushed it back down, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

He ran a hand through his hair, cursing when he realized it was still pulled back. "What happened?"

Sophie ran her hands across her face, trying but failing to remove the makeup. She gave up in frustration and dropped her hands to her sides. "It's nothing. I just got into an argument. It's been a rough day, already. And it's only just noon."

"Nate?" Eliot asked, probably too gruffly. Sophie just nodded and rolled her eyes, as if to say, who else?

It took all the strength he had, and he had a considerable amount, not to close the distance between them and pull Sophie into a hug. He wasn't sure which one of them that it would disturb more. Instead he settled on leaning his head towards the other side of the office,

"C'mon then, I'll make you some tea." Sophie looked surprised but followed him to the kitchen.

Eliot turned on the kettle and found her favorite mug, putting in a bag of her favorite tea. If Sophie noticed his selections, she kept it to herself. Keeping his back to her, Eliot ran a clean cloth under the warm water, staying a moment longer than needed, letting the water soothe him a bit. Turning back to Sophie, he made to bring the cloth to her face, but faltered midway and pressed it into her hands instead. She gave him a grateful look and raised it to her cheeks. Deciding there was something seriously wrong with him for finding the motion arousing, Eliot spun on his heels to face the kettle once again.

A long minute later, the kettle whistled and Eliot poured the water into Sophie's cup, passing it to her, along with a dishcloth. After all, it was very hot. She had tossed the warm cloth she had used into the sink, which made Eliot wonder how he had missed the sound. He was distracted, but then again, Sophie could do that to a man. Or woman. Or lizard. He'd like to see anybody try and not respond to her. He'd especially like to see Parker try. _Oh lord._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

In the moment of his distraction, Sophie had managed to place herself on one of the stools and was surveying the wrecked kitchen, just seeing the mess around them. She raised an eyebrow at Eliot in inquiry.

"Parker and Hardison had some fun yesterday." He grinned wickedly, "That's great and all for them, but they are cleaning this mess, even if I have to break every bone in their bodies."

Sophie laughed in delight, "You'll have to catch Parker first." Eliot growled, he hadn't thought of that.

Sophie continued laughing but stopped suddenly as she caught the glint in Eliot's eyes. He looked downright… hungry. Remembering their awkward encounter from two days ago, Sophie dropped her gaze from his. Eliot remembered at the same time, suddenly unsure of where to look, or how to hold his arms. When he saw her crying, he hadn't even thought. At all. He didn't consider what had happened the other day, he didn't consider how he had bared as much of his soul as he probably ever could, and he didn't consider how she might be feeling toward him. He just saw her in pain, and reacted. He wanted nothing more than to stop her from hurting.

It was a maddening feeling, to want somebody but to not trust them. She had broken that trust, and he was a hard man to apologize to, but as he thought about it, he realized the anger wasn't as strong as it had been weeks ago. He was getting there. Settling his eyes on her face, even as she looked away, Eliot wondered if he was seeing the real Sophie in this moment. Was this her, truly vulnerable? Or was it just another layer of her façade? He realized that no matter the answer, it didn't matter. He was too wrapped up to break away now. Eliot walked toward her, leaning against the counter next to Sophie's seat. The stool was low, putting them eye to eye, which Eliot used to his advantage, staring into her eyes, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say, preferably without actually saying it.

"Eliot," Sophie started, with a comforting tone, but Eliot interrupted her. _When did this become her making me feel better anyway?_

"I swear to God, Sophie, sometimes I just want to hurt him! Just kick him around a little, make him feel the way he makes you feel. You shouldn't," he trailed off, knowing it was dangerous territory telling any woman but especially Sophie what they should or should not do.

Sophie sighed and brushed her hand down Eliot's face so quickly that he might have imagined it. The tingle down his spine told him otherwise.

"Nate's not the bad guy here, Eliot. It's just… complicated." To her surprise, Eliot laughed.

"We're all bad guys, Soph. It's kinda what we do." He rolled his eyes and gave her a crooked grin before continuing. "Still don't mean he can treat you like this. Complications are no excuse for being an asshole."

Sophie smiled sadly at him, before pulling him into a tight embrace. Mind still stunned, Eliot's arms worked on their own and returned the hug. Her heat was driving him crazy, and she managed to smell sweet and seductive all at once. He wanted to pull away, to stop the torture, but Sophie needed him, and he wasn't about to let her down. After a moment, he closed his eyes and let his body relax against hers, enjoying the moment. When the time came for her to pull away, Eliot found himself wishing she had held on just a minute longer. Sophie looked at him with an expression that could only be called unsure, and for an instant Eliot thought she would kiss him. He stopped himself from leaning forward, not sure he could handle it if she pulled away again. Instead, he took a step back and gave her a rueful smile, not knowing what to say. Sophie smiled back, and this time it reached her eyes.

Hopping from the stool, she collected her cup from the counter and placed it in the sink. When she turned, Eliot had gotten as far as the doorway before she called his name quietly. He turned to her slowly, and she could see he was trying to reign in his impatience and desire. The man tried so hard.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Sophie strode to Eliot and pressed her lips to his for a long moment. His arms wrapped around her waist in an instant, and he pulled their bodies close together as he deepened the kiss. Forgetting why it could never work, Sophie slid both hands into his hair, gripping tightly. He moaned against her, and pulled her even closer. She thought she might fall when his tongue touched hers for the first time. Apparently fighting and cooking weren't the only things Eliot was skilled in. Eventually they needed to breathe, and so they stood panting, arms still around each other, both not a little torn.

Sophie broke the moment first, as Eliot knew she would. She pulled away but continued to stare at him. He refused to apologize, refused to pretend it hadn't been amazing. Knowing he wouldn't be able to help but say sorry if he opened his mouth, he kept it shut. He didn't feel sorry, but he felt like he should, and the guilt gnawed at his insides. Sophie took another step back.

"Eliot, I, we, that, I'm sorry. That shouldn't have happened."

Even though he knew she would say it, the sentence left him with pain he could only associate to Croatia. He allowed himself a moment of pity before putting up his defenses once again. Still not trusting himself to speak, he just nodded. Sophie made a move to come closer, in an insane attempt to comfort him. This time Eliot stepped back.

"Please." His voice was soft but held the dangerous tone they hardly heard outside of a con. "Please, just go." He stared right at her, the blue eyes never looking so much like steel as they did now.

And so she left.

Hours later, long after Eliot had gone to bed, the knocking on his door woke him with a start. Not bothering with a weapon, or a shirt, he yanked the door open with frustration. And there stood Sophie. It took his sleepy brain a minute to process the sight, but once it did, he motioned her in.

Sophie stood in his living room, the confidence that had brought her to him all but dissipated as he stared at her, trying to figure her out. She decided to speak at last but was cut off by Eliot's mouth. The kiss was angry and rough, but she pushed back with equal force. Happy that she had worn pants, she broke the kiss, jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist, surprised when he didn't even stagger. Grinning like Sophie had never imagined possible, Eliot carried her to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning brought the crashing reality of the events that happened over the weekend. Hardison stuttered through the newest presentation, stealing glances with Parker, who appeared straight-faced, unless you noticed the slight wrinkle of humor around her eyes. He noticed.

Eliot and Sophie sat on either side of Nate, each avoiding his eyes, and each others. It had been a long and wonderful night, but their guilt arose with the sun. Eliot could already feel he was losing her, and Sophie knew she was already gone.

Nate tried not to see any of it, but he was drunk, not blind.


	5. Chapter 5

Authors Note: The italicized bits of thought are what's going on in Sophie's head, just to be clear. Also, this is the end of my "days" series, I guess you would call it. I'd Rather Go Naked(Friday), That Dress(Sat), Sunday, Monday, & now Tuesday. The first two are named without days because this was never intended to be a series. That being said, I hope you enjoy it.

Sophie managed to avoid Eliot for all of Monday, practically running from the office the moment Nate dismissed the meeting. Her part of the newest job wouldn't begin until the following week, for now it was mostly Hardison's game. That night she shut off her phone, and blasted her music, but she couldn't escape her own thoughts. _What have I done? _Sophie rolled her eyes at her own melodrama, but it was a fitting sentiment. She had taken advantage of Eliot's obvious affections towards her, even when she knew she would never feel anything more for him than she did now. She sighed, remembering what Eliot had said to her as they drifted asleep as the sun rose on Monday morning.

"If this is all you can give, I'll take it," He'd said it with a hint of humor in his voice, because it had been an amazing night, but Sophie was too good a reader to miss the seriousness and sadness in that voice. She didn't respond, just closed her eyes and pretended to be already asleep. But the thing was, Eliot was a good reader too, and she couldn't help the tears that ran down her face when he pulled his arm off her waist and turned around.

Sophie sighed again. _What a mess I've made of things! _Tuesday and its promise of a group meeting to discuss Hardison's progress reared its ugly head. It was going to be a long day.

Hardison could get used to this, he really could. Mornings were just so much easier to deal with when he had Parker to wake up to. Sure, she wasn't always in his bed, but then neither was he. Parker, well Parker was _creative_, and they found themselves in places he'd never imagined, at heights he'd never imagined. The roof of the office on the first night had been a shock, but she had asked, and he couldn't say no. The camping section of Wal-Mart the next day had been fun, especially when they escaped the guards that were opening the store on Monday morning. He could only imagine what else she had in store for them. The bed though, his bed, he realized on Tuesday morning, was his favorite place to wake up with Parker. If they were there, she was really there, with him, not just on another adventure in which he tagged along. It had only been three nights, but they were the best nights that he could remember. Twisting a finger through her hair, he smiled as she nuzzled into his touch, still fast asleep.

Eliot was surprised he didn't feel more… violent. After all, it was what he did. He didn't regret his night with Sophie, even if he did feel guilty. He should've stopped her, should've known it couldn't end well, but he had been weak. Eliot snorted, knowing that nobody he'd met would ever describe him as weak. But Sophie, she made him a different kind of weak. He was pretty sure he didn't actually love her, but he knew for sure that he still wanted her, even if just on a physical level. But he wouldn't give in again, even if she showed up at his door, again. If she wouldn't be with him, and he knew she never truly would, he needed to stop it all before it got too out of control, before the team was torn apart. Grabbing his jacket, Eliot slammed the door on the way out. Tuesday was now officially his least favorite day of the week.

Parker awoke when Hardison was in the shower. Realizing she was not in her bed, she shot up quickly, pulling the sheet tightly around herself, before remembering she was in Hardison's bed, safe. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and she was glad Hardison hadn't been there to see her momentary panic. She hadn't meant to freak out, but old habits die hard. Her body remembered the past, even if her mind refused to anymore. But she knew Hardison would never hurt her, she trusted him, and the thought made her smile. She was damaged, but not broken. And in moments like these, she didn't feel one bit crazy. Tuesday was her new favorite day of the week.

Nate got to the office first, knowing it was going to be a hard day. He was too far gone and he knew it. The drinking had to stop, and he had to work through his grief in a healthier way. And he absolutely knew that he needed to make thing right with Sophie. And now, he supposed, Eliot. The tension between those two had been enough to let Nate know what had transpired between them, though he was grateful he didn't know the details. He'd known Eliot liked Sophie, probably too much, but he'd been so wrapped up in his own haze, he'd never seen Sophie heading towards the younger man. But she had. And now it would be twice as hard to keep her, but it would be even harder to lose her.

He didn't just love her, he needed her. He needed all of them really, but Sophie especially. She pestered him for drinking, cast him disapproving glances when he continued to drink, and drowned him with incessant signals and meaningful looks, but somehow it was worse when she didn't. Yesterday had been torture, not being able to talk to her, even if it was just a smart ass response to a carefully placed remark. She'd barely spoken to him at all; and it was almost the emptiest feeling he could remember, almost. The pain of losing his son had nearly killed him, and it still hurt, every damn moment. But Sophie, she made it bearable. Shaking as he worked, Nate poured every bit of alcohol he could find down the drain. He drew a circle around the date on the kitchen calendar. Tuesday; the first day of sobriety, and hopefully, the first day at a second chance.

By luck or some twisted sense of destiny, Eliot and Sophie arrive at the office at precisely the same time. Gritting his teeth, Eliot stopped in front of the door and waited for her to get out of the car. This needed to be resolved, now.

Sophie almost turned around and drove away. _No running this time! He deserves better. _Instead, she got out and walked resolutely to where Eliot stood. He looked at her with a neutral expression, waiting for her to make the first move. _What do I say? How? _She opted for the simplest sentence.

"I'm sorry," she stared at the floor, unable to look up into his beautiful eyes. She didn't want to see what lay there. She was surprised when she felt his hand lift her chin up, and he looked at her with a kind expression.

"Don't be," Eliot murmured, "Shoulda know better, both should've." He wiped at the tears that were beginning to run down her cheek, "I won't regret it, so don't ask me to." Sophie shook her head.

"Never" She smiled tentatively back at him, amazed that it was going so well. _Who knew Eliot could be so sweet. Right. You did. And you used him. _

"We gonna be alright, Sophie?" Eliot asked her seriously. "We can't let this hurt the team. We just got it back together." _Oh Eliot. This team means more to you than I ever realized. _The thought made her sad.

"Of course," she nodded in response. "We're both adults here after all. We'll be just fine." _I'll make sure of it._ She leaned forward and wrapped Eliot in a light hug, needing the closure.

Eliot very consciously avoided breathing in Sophie's scent as she hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her quickly before releasing her again. It was actually easier than he'd imagined on the ride over. He wanted to be angry at her, to blame her, but he couldn't. She had looked so sad when she apologized to him, and he knew it wasn't an act. She truly felt bad about hurting him, and that meant she cared. They walked into the office silently, neither voicing the unspoken request and hope of "friends." But Eliot knew that, eventually, they would be. Maybe Tuesday wasn't so bad after all.

The two of them found Nate in his chair, white as chalk, and it only took a flash of memory to the rehab job to realize what was going on. They heard giggling coming from behind the front door, Parker and Hardison had arrived. Sophie looked at Eliot pleadingly, and he nodded. Spinning on his heels, he turned to the exit, to take Parker and Hardison to breakfast. The relief of Nate finally realizing he needed help outweighed the twinge he felt leaving Sophie with him. His family would be alright.

Sophie sat down and pulled her chair to rest in front of Nate's, their knees almost touching. Not sure what to say, she just smiled kindly at him, waiting. He barely got her name out before collapsing in sobs, his head falling to her knees. Startled, she absently smoothed his hair as he cried; afraid anything she might say would break this, whatever this was. When his sobs fell silent, and the shaking stopped, Nate sat back up and looked at Sophie, ashamed.

"I ruined your skirt," he said in a sad voice, knowing Sophie understood he was sorry for more than a tear stained outfit.

"Oh, Nate. Honestly." Sophie laughed softly, "The skirt will dry." She grinned at him and it lifted his heart.

Taking her hands, Nate pulled Sophie gently, so that she sat across his lap, legs dangling over the side of the chair. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek to his. When Nate finally brought his hands to clasp around her waist, she almost cried.

They sat for a long time in silence, just taking comfort in each other. When Sophie stood to stretch, Nate stood with her. She looked in his eyes, and saw they were clearer than they'd been in a long time. She knew they had a long road ahead, all of them, but especially Nate. Then he kissed her, just for a moment, and she knew it would be ok. They would be ok. Sophie grinned up at Nate and kissed him back, sweetly, but no longer than before. They had time, and for once she was sure they would use it well.

THE END

Author's Note:  First, of all, hehe, referring to myself as an author is still funny to me. Secondly, this story was hard to finish. I really hope you are satisfied with it, because it took a lot out of me. It was my first attempt at writing Nate and Sophie, or really even Nate. Please don't feel too bad for Eliot. I feel like he deserves better than pining for a woman he can't have, and he needs the team more than he needs a relationship. At least, that's how I feel, and since it's my story, that works out :D.

So this was the end of my unintentional series. It all started with the idea of writing a silly little fic about Parker claiming Hardison (That Dress), but then the others just sort of happened, for better or worse, lol. It turned out angstier than I'd anticipated, and the ending isn't as sugar sweet as I usually like, but this felt like a better fit. Hopeful, not perfect.


End file.
